Chelsea win Remy race, Kagawa returns to Dortmund

We've almost made it to the end of the transfer window, but a couple more days bring a flurry of desperate deals, bids and failed coups for players of value. Strap in and rock out: it's another edition of Transfer Talk.

TOP PICK - Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Loic Remy from QPR while they have also confirmed the two-year loan deal taking Fernando Torres to AC Milan.

- Alessio Cerci is going to secure a move to Atletico Madrid tomorrow while Shinji Kagawa has now completed a sensational return to Borussia Dortmund from Manchester United.

- Newcastle outcast Hatem Ben Arfa could make a sensational loan switch to the Championship with Birmingham City after rejecting a move to Besiktas.

- Radamel Falcao tweeted he is close to securing a dream move to Real Madrid but reports would suggest he is actually close to a 20 million euro loan move to Manchester City.

TRANSFERS BY LEAGUE

23.59 BST Our final post of the day involves Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck, who has been linked with a return to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet is desperate for a forward after failing to convince Fabio Borini to leave Liverpool and The Sun says that it will cost the Black Cats a staggering five million pounds to loan the England international for one season.

23.52 BST Arsenal and Tottenham are prepared to battle it out for Manchester City centre-back Matija Nastasic.

The highly-rated Serbian has been told that he can leave the English champions following the arrival of Eliaquim Mangala from Porto -- and both Arsene Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino believe that the 21-year-old will provide good competition to their respective defences.

23.45 BST Hull City are preparing an offer for West Ham midfielder Mohamed Diame after conceding defeat in their pursuit of Manchester United's Tom Cleverley.

Cleverley, 25, is expected to join Aston Villa in an estimated 7.5 million pound deal despite concerns over his weekly wage demands.

Diame has fallen out of favour at Upton Park following the arrivals of Cheikhou Kouyate and Alex Song from Anderlecht and Barcelona respectively -- and The Daily Mail says Steve Bruce's side are confident of tying up a 3.5 million pound deal for the Senegalese powerhouse.

23.35 BST Roma are lining up a shock bid for out-of-favour Newcastle United centre-back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

The Frenchman has been told that he can leave the Magpies after falling down the pecking order at St James Park and the Giallorossi could sign him on loan to add depth to their defence.

Roma are lining up a surprise move for Newcastle defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. #NUFC

23.26 BST Done Deal Sevilla have announced that they have completed the permanent signing of Cameroon international Stephane Mbia from Queens Park Rangers.

The versatile 28-year-old earned himself a place in the club's folklore when he netted the goal to send the Andalusian side into the Europa League final last season and he has signed a one-year contract following his impressive loan spell.

23.18 BST We are now into the final 24 hours of the transfer window and many managers across Europe will be enduring a sleepless night as they frantically attempt to finalise their squads with late additions.

One such manager is Crystal Palace's Neil Warnock who says that he hopes to bring in around three players by the close of play tomorrow.

Sky Sports says that Tottenham defender Zeki Freyers is one name on his shortlist, while the Eagles could also swoop for Queens Park Rangers' left-back Armand Traore.

21.50 BST Tottenham are hoping to take advantage of Southampton's interest in Andros Townsend by offering the England winger as a makeweight in a 14 million pound deal for injured striker Jay Rodriguez.

THFC to offer Andros Townsend as part of £14m deadline day deal for Southampton's injured striker Jay Rodriguez http://t.co/ceOPInTiYr

21.40 BST Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says that he could sign one more player before Monday's transfer deadline.

The Reds boss has already brought in nine new faces this summer but The Daily Star speculates that Spanish goalkeeper Victor Valdes is on Rodgers' shopping list following the expiry of his Barcelona contract.

Rodgers is looking for an experienced goalkeeper to provide competition to Simon Mignolet and Valdes could fit the bill, if he recovers from a knee problem that has ruled him out of action since March.

The Northern Irish coach also admitted that he could offload several fringe members though he remained tight-lipped on the future of Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva.

"Maybe one more will come in," Rodgers said. "A few boys have been told they aren't going to get much game time so they have been given that respect early on to help themselves find a club.

"Lucas is a very important member of our squad and he is unfortunate not to be in. I've not had anything through about him leaving but we will see how the next few days go."

21.26 BST Atletico Madrid defender Toby Alderweireld is the subject of a tug-of-war battle between Southampton and Newcastle United.

The versatile Belgian appeared in four of his country's five games at the World Cup and has been told that he can leave the Spanish champions on loan.

D-day. As in decision day for Toby Alderweireld. He'll decide tomorrow if he joins Southampton (or Newcastle.) #saintsfc#nufc

The Uruguayan is poised to link up with fellow countryman Gus Poyet at the Stadium of Light after Brendan Rodgers admitted that the 23-year-old did not feature in his plans for this season.

However, Coates' arrival would rule out the possibility of Fabio Borini rejoining the Black Cats on loan as Premier League rules stipulate that clubs can only take one player on loan from another team.

20.55 BST Galatasaray confirm that they have reached an agreement with Napoli to sign Goran Pandev and Blerim Dzemaili.

Cesare Prandelli's side are rumoured to have splashed around three million euros on the Partenopei pair while they have also agreed a deal for Eskisehirspor defender Tarik Camdal.

20.24 BST Inter president Erick Thohir is determined to bring in a winger before the transfer window shuts and reports in France claim that the Nerazzurri have lodged a 25 million euro bid for Marseille's highly-rated Florian Thauvin.

The Serie A side have also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain's Ezequiel Lavezzi and Parma's Jonathan Biabiany while Inter's Colombia international midfielder Fredy Guarin is rumoured to be close to a move to Zenit St Petersburg.

20.14 BST Atletico Madrid confirm they have reached an agreement with Torino to sign Italy international winger Alessio Cerci.

The 27-year-old will travel to the Spanish capital tomorrow to undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a three-year contract.

The fee is estimated to be in the region of 20 million euros and he will be the latest member of Diego Simeone's attacking revolution following the arrivals of Mario Mandzukic, Antoine Griezmann and Raul Jimenez.

20.04 BST Atletico Madrid defender Emiliano Insua is poised to join Rayo Vallecano on a season-long loan, according to MARCA.

Diego Simeone has already signed Guilherme Siqueira and Cristian Ansaldi to fill the left-back role and the Argentine coach is eager to offload a few players as he seeks to cut the Spanish champions' wage bill.

Torino winger Alessio Cerci is rumoured to be close to a move to the Vicente Calderon though Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld and Uruguay winger Cristian Rodriguez are expected to leave before the window closes.

19.54 BST Queens Park Rangers manager Harry 'head-out-the-car-window' Redknapp is hoping to poach his former club Tottenham for reinforcements in the final 27 hours of the transfer window.

The 67-year-old is hopeful of luring unsettled Brazilian midfielder Sandro to Loftus Road on loan -- a player he signed for Spurs from Internacional in 2010 -- while he has also enquired about the possibility of loaning Aaron Lennon and Toronto FC striker Jermain Defoe, who he coached at both West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham.

19.10 BST Done Deal Malaga have confirmed that Turkish winger Nordim Amrabat has returned to the club for a second loan spell.

The La Liga side have the option to make the Netherlands-born Morocco international a permanent acquisition at the end of the season, with Galatasaray willing to sanction a future sale of around 3.5 million euros.

18.32 BST Speaking after Arsenal's disappointing 1-1 draw with Leicester City, Arsene Wenger confirmed that he is still hopeful of bringing in players before the transfer window shuts on Monday night.

The French coach refused to comment on Loic Remy's move to Chelsea but hinted that he is still on the hunt for a new striker.

"We are open [to adding to the squad]; we work on it. But let's not fool ourselves as well. The solution is not always to buy a player. But we want to," he told Sky Sports.

"The pressure to buy is always there, whether Giroud is injured or not. We try our best. I do not want to speak about specific cases [Remy]... we are very active."

18.21 BST Done Deal Leeds United have confirmed two signings within the last 24 hours.

Highly-rated Brazil under-20 international midfielder Adryan joins on loan from Flamengo while Italy under-19 international defender Dario Del Fabro has moved from Cagliari, the former club of new Leeds owner Massimo Cellino.

18.11 BST It's not every day that a world class centre forward becomes available on the market. And after another unconvincing display from Arsenal today, the pressure is mounting up on Arsene Wenger in the final hours of the transfer window.

Are the Gunners really going to stick with just Yaya Sanogoals in the absence of Olivier Giroud?

Not sure what Arsenal are waiting for. Radamael Falcao is being touted around. Come on Arsene, he'd be perfect surely.

18.05 BST The Radamel Falcao saga continues. The Guardian says that Monaco have now offered the Colombian to Manchester City for 70 million euros.

Manuel Pellegrini remains keen to sign the striker but City face a race against the clock and would need to offload a foreign player to free up a space in their squad.

The English champions are allowed a net spend of 49 million pounds due to financial fair play regulations and have around 24 million at the moment -- meaning that they would need to raise funds by selling Alvaro Negredo, Micah Richards, Matija Nastasic and Scott Sinclair in order to meet the principality's asking price.

Where will Radamel Falcao end up?

17.55 BST Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has dismissed reports that he is in talks with Aston Villa and Southampton in the most spectacular of fashions...

17.30 BST: Fiorentina are going to renew their attempts to sign Fernando from Shakhtar Donetsk in January after seeing their latest bid rejected. According to Sky Sport Italia, La Viola offered to loan the Brazilian with an option to buy for 15 million euros afterwards but the Ukrainian club slammed the door shut on any bids this summer.

17.25 BST: Roma defender Alessio Romagnoli is all set to join Sampdoria on loan with option to buy according to Sky Sport Italia. That will explain the signing of Jose Holebas from Olympiakos then.

17.14 BST: Juventus appear to have exhausted all options in trying to sign a striker. Tuttomercatoweb claim the Old Lady won't be signing Radamel Falcao, have lost out on Javier Hernandez to Real Madrid and have all but given up on Xherdun Shaqiri. But it's not all bad news! Apparently Max Allegri still holds out a hope of signing Arsenal's Lukas Podolski and is awaiting Arsene Wenger giving permission for the German to leave, despite Olivier Giroud's injury.

17.05 BST: DONE DEAL! We all knew it was a done deal. Chelsea have just confirmed it. Torres to Milan on a two-year loan - or a free transfer for the cynics amongst us (he has two years left on his Chelsea contract).

17.04 BST: Lazio are looking to shed some timber in the last 24 hours of the transfer window. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, they will try and offload Pedro Cavanda, who is on his way to Turkey for a medical with Trabzonspor. They also want to see Michael Ciani leave the club as well as the possibility of Ogenyi Onazi joining either Southampton or Sunderland should the right offer come in.

16.55 BST:WELBECK SIGNS FOR TOP DIVISION SIDE IN SLOVENIA! No, not Danny Welbeck but Nana Welbeck, the 19-year-old Atalanta forward who signed on a free transfer from Brescia two days ago has now joined Krka Novo Mesto on loan.

16.47 BST: Confirmed earlier! This is the picture every Olympiakos fan wanted to see. And probably every Fulham fan for that matter...

16.35 BST: DONE DEAL! And Shinji Kagawa has returned! They must be going mad in Dortmund. Sporting director Michael Zorc said: "The possibility of signing Shinji Kagawa from Manchester United only arose for the first time in the last few days. Naturally we decided to add his enormous quality to our squad once again."

16.33 BST: Sevilla boss Unai Emery has told Marca he expects to keep buying players up until the close of the window despite his side's 2-0 away win over Espanyol. He said: "I'm very happy with the squad but I feel we lack many things."

16.25 BST: It must be close now. Even Borussia left-back Marcel Schmelzer is welcoming Shinji Kagawa to the club...

16.18 BST: Atletico Madrid defender Miranda, who had been linked with a 30 million pound move to Chelsea earlier this summer, has told AS that he wants to stay in Madrid for the foreseeable future. He said: "I will stay here, I like the city and I am at a great club."

16.09 BST: After signing Mauricio Isla from Juventus, QPR are reportedly going after Parma striker Amauri to add to their formerly Serie A contingent. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Harry Redknapp wants to bring in the Brazilian-Italian as a replacement for Chelsea-bound Loic Remy.

15.50 BST: A report in Mundo Deportivo, citing Sky Sport Italia, claims Manchester United's Javier Hernandez may be swapping the bench at Old Trafford for the bench at the Bernebeu. The report claims the two giants of world football are in talks over a 20 million euro move.

Hernandez won't be at Old Trafford past the deadline but where will he end up?

15.40 BST: AS are reporting that Atletico Madrid are close to agreeing to allow third choice goalkeeper Yassine Bounou on loan for the season to Real Zaragoza.

15.34 BST: Could be a goer given Jasper Cillessen's emergence as Ajax's No.1 goalkeeper.

14:52 BST: Cesare Prandelli is plundering Serie A for players as he is close to signing Blerim Dzemaili and Goran Pandev from Napoli for his new-look Galatasaray according to Gianluca Di Marzio. It is thought the fee is less than ten million euros.

14:40 BST: Another transfer saga almost over! Alessio Cerci is apparently going to undergo a medical today and sign tomorrow with Atletico Madrid.

14.04 BST: Manchester City have rejected Valencia's initial bid for Alvaro Negredoaccording to AS. It is thought Los Che bid somewhere in the region of 15 million euros but City would want at least the 25 million euros they paid for him last year.

13.55 BST: DONE DEAL! Napoli sign hardman midfielder David Lopez.

Espanyol confirm midfielder David López sold to Napoli. No mention of fee vía @RCDEspanyol ) but reports say €5.5m.

13.24 BST: Hellas Verona want to sign Alejandro 'Papu' Gomezaccording to Gianluca Di Marzio. The Metalist Kharkiv midfielder is available and Atalanta are also in the race for his signature.

13.16 BST: Andy Delort, the Tours striker who was so close to a move to both Atletico Madrid and Charlton this summer, is expected to join Wigan tomorrow. According to L'Equipe, the French striker was in the north of England yesterday having a medical while watching his new side beat Birmingham 4-0.

12.55 BST:L'Equipe are reporting that Lorient president Loic Fery has tweeted a fan that Morgan Amalfitano is set to join the club on a free transfer from Marseille. Apparently he will sign a five year deal before the deadline following his bust up with Marcelo Bielsa.

12.48 BST: Inter Milan are desperate to rid themselves of Fredy Guarin so they can make Walter Mazzari's dreams come true and sign Ezequiel Lavezzi from PSG. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter are holding out for a permanent deal for Guarin with Valencia said to be very interested in the 15 million rated midfielder. Laurent Blanc says though that there will be no major sales in the next two days.

12.40 BST: Could Adnan Januzaj be on his way out of Manchester United? The Mirror are running with a story which claims the Belgian told MK Dons players last week that he wouldn't give them his shirt because: "Sorry, I want to keep it, as it might be my last game."

Can't imagine United fans would be too happy if this was true.

12.34 BST: There won't be an immediate replacement for Daley Blind then...

Ajax coach Frank de Boer will not make a move for Heerenveen midfielder Daley Sinkgraven.

12.29 BST: A Tuttomercatoweb exclusive now as Leandro Damaio's agent has said his client has been in touch with clubs in Italy. Agent Vinicius Prates said: "Yes, there have been contacts by some Italian and European clubs, but nothing that would suggest a move."

The Brazilian, who currently plays for Santos, has been 'on the radar' of European clubs for well over three years now. One day he might come...

12.15 BST: Hull City boss Steve Bruce has admitted to Sky Sports that he is in talks to sign Tom Cleverley from Manchester United. He said: "There has been conversations between the two clubs and we did have some sort of offer, but where we are up to between the two clubs I am not too sure because I have been away in London. If there is a deal to be done to try and get somebody like Tom then of course we would be interested."

Tom Cleverley looks a dead-cert to be shipped out of Man Utd with Hull City the latest club to be linked.

12.10 BST: Adriano Galliani everybody... Adriano Galliani.

Galliani:"The last 3 days of transfer window are the days of the condor, I always strike in these days" via GdS

11.59 BST: Newcastle and Sunderland are set to rival one-another to the signing of Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld.According to the Mirror, both north-east clubs want the Atletico man and have been deep in discussions about a loan move. Monaco also remain in the hunt.

11.50 BST: AC Milan have told Marco Van Ginkel he has 48 hours (so the rest of the transfer window) to decide whether he wants to join them from Chelsea. It is thought a loan deal has been agreed and Gazzetta dello Sport sayAdriano Galliani has extended his initial decision deadline by two days. The Milan CEO is also preparing a seven million euro bid for Parma's Jonathan Biabany as Torino's Alessio Cerci is proving too expensive.

11.43 BST: According to some reports, Blind has already had his medical in Manchester!

11.36 BST: One-time Spurs target Paolo De Ceglie is set to join Parma on loan according to Tuttosport. Also leaving Juventus on loan deals are Luca Marrone and Marco Motta who have been interesting the likes of Norwich City, Besiktas, Elche and Cordoba.

11.30 BST:L'Equipe are reporting that Adrien Rabiot is set to sign for Roma after a five million euro fee was agreed between the two clubs. Tottenham and Arsenal were interested and despite firm interest late in the day, the young Frenchman is set to go to Serie A.

11.25 BST: Real Madrid are in the market for a new striker and having seen Radamel Falcao seemingly slip from their grasp, are expected to making a 20 million euro + move for either Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi or Roma's Mattia Destro, according to Sky Sport Italia.

11.20 BST: Very well-connected BBC journalist David Ornstein with a bombshell for all Arsenal fans...

#AFC have dropped Remy interest. Enquired but no longer pursuing. Currently not close to any signings before deadline #QPR#CFC#bbcfootball

11.17 BST: Despite signing Kostas Manolas and Jose Holebas from Olympiakos this summer, Roma are still in the market for a central defender according to Il Mattino. The report claims Port's Rolando could be a snip at two million euros while Inter Milan's Hugo Campagnaro and Eder Balanta from River Plate are also options.

11.10 BST: And yet MORE on QPR. It is definitely the Redknapp-factor!

QPR interested in Diame but West Ham want fee (around £4m) up front, QPR want instalments. Would seem a decent signing for that money

11.06 BST: Napoli are still hoping to tie up a ten million pound deal for Tottenham midfielder Sandroaccording to The Mirror. However, apparently a certain Harry Redknapp could throw a spanner in the works with a late move for the Brazilian hardman.

10.58 BST: DONE DEAL!Concerned Arsenal fans that thought Salomon Kalou would be joining them, rest easy. He has moved from Lille to Hertha Berlin today!

10.51 BST: QPR are hopeful of bringing a raft of players into the club over the next two days. Slightly obvious statement given their boss is Harry 'head-out-the-car-window' Redknapp. But anyway, the Daily Mail are reporting he is confident of bringing in Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (even though he signed a new Ajax deal last week) as well as Spurs duo Andros Townsend and Aaron Lennon. The report also says they have agreed a contract with AWOL Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Lassana Diarra.

10.43 BST: So we're all jumping the gun then?

#AFC haven't met Remy release clause but are in conversations with #QPR about rivalling #CFC for him - IF they let a forward go #bbcfootball

10.27 BST: Valencia are confident they can sign Alvaro Negredo from Manchester City now that it has been widely accepted, according to reports, that Radamel Falcao is set to join the Premier League champions.

10.17 BST: Crystal Palace are poised to offer seven million pounds for Wigan's James McArthur after seeing the Scotsman's move to Leicester City break down. Burnley had also been interested but the Daily Star sayNeil Warnock is first in line for the midfielder, who is desperate for a return to the Premier League.

10.12 BST: Paris Saint Germain are set to make an audacious loan bid to bring Chelsea's Petr Cech to the club. With FFP rules limiting their ability to spend this summer, Laurent Blanc is hoping to take advantage of the fact Cech has fallen behind Thibault Courtois in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. According to the Daily Mail, the French champions are confident Cech will push for a move, as Jose Mourinho doesn't want his No.2 to leave.

10.04 BST: But Wenger said no!!! This could be a two-day mini-saga...

There's advanced talks between Arsenal and Benfica over J.Campbell. Benfica are ready to offer €10m. Wenger have to authorize it. [Record]

10.00 BST: Arsenal are expected to make yet another attempt to bring William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon. According to the Daily Mail,Arsene Wenger doesn't want to match the midfielder's 37 million euro release clause but is still confident of securing his signing before tomorrow's deadline.

09.52 BST: Inter Milan are set to make a last minute bid for Fabio Borini. The Liverpool striker has had a 14 million pound move to Sunderland on delay since the beginning of the window it seems, but Sky Sport Italia are now reporting the Italian giants could be in for Borini to scupper Gus Poyet's hopes of signing him.

Where is he going to be celebrating next season? Sunderland, Inter or Liverpool. Who knows!?

09.44 BST: Despite what O Jogo have reported, Arsene Wenger is keen to keep hold of Joel Campbell and has told the Costa Rican he will not be allowed to leave on loan. The Daily Mail are reporting several clubs have offered to take the striker on loan but Wenger is keen to hold on to him.

09.36 BST: Manchester United outcast Danny Welbeck has spoken to Arsenal and Schalke but it is Tottenham who are the most confident of signing the England striker on loan. According to the Mirror, he is keen to link up with Mauricio Pocchetino who has a track record of improving young players.

09.30 BST: Southampton lead the race to sign Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk.According to the Daily Mail, the Dutch defender is closing in on an eight million pound move to the south coast but Sunderland, Newcastle, Hamburg and Schalke also all remain in the hunt.

09.22 BST: Manchester United are set to try and hijack Liverpool's move for Argentine World Cup hero goalkeeper Sergio Romero from Sampdoria. Reports yesterday suggested the Reds were close to signing the 'keeper but Gazzetta dello Sport have suggested United are going to make a last-minute bid to get him to Old Trafford.

As we discussed at length in Friday's Transfer Talk, there are many good reasons for Loic Remy to be so coveted during this summer's window. He's cheap at eight to 10 million pounds, his wages are modest and he's got a proven scoring track in the Premier League.

So it was no wonder Chelsea became the second team in the past month to activate his release clause and begin negotiations -- Liverpool were famously close to completing a deal only for the French forward to mysteriously fail his medical.

But wait ... do we hear a third team in the chase? We do. The Daily Telegraph reports that Arsenal are coming in fashionably late to hijack Remy's move to Stamford Bridge. The move, triggering the 10.5 million pound release, is apparently much too tardy to make a difference -- sources close to Chelsea reportedly remain confident -- but you can't blame the Gunners for trying.

The Gunners need a replacement for the injured Giroud, but is it too late for them to land Loic?

We suspect Arsenal are indeed too late. Gunners fans had better hope there is a legitimate Plan B.

(Oh, and going back to Joel Campbell for a second, Wenger has reportedly told several clubs to leave Joel alone. Quipped the Arsenal manager: "If somebody calls my assistants about him, they don't even tell me anymore because when I say no, it's no.")

Old Trafford's revolving doors get some work

Forgive us if this feels like deja vu, but Man United's latest failure, a 0-0 draw at newly promoted Burnley, makes any scrap in news about Louis van Gaal's discombobulated side seem massively important.

Some of it is obvious -- United plan to get rid of some players, says the Daily Star -- and some of it is interesting when it comes to further purchases between now and 11 pm BST Monday.

Is feisty Nigel de Jong the answer for Man United's lack of confidence in midfield?

The shopping list is full of familiar names, including Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal -- always a fan fave -- and Sporting youngster William Carvalho to firm up midfield, but one target caught us by surprise: Milan and Dutch enforcer Nigel de Jong.

Forgive us, Louis, but you might wish to look beyond your Oranje rolodex when it comes to this expensive rebuild at Old Trafford, but signing a ton of players who are both familiar with your system and you as a manager should help create stability in the short- and medium-term.

De Jong comes with a reported price tag of 10 million pounds and a reputation for sinking his boots into the chests of Spanish midfielders. Sounds great!

Another reported target: 15-year-old Norwegian attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard, who recently hit the headlines for being the youngest-ever call-up for his country. Not likely to be an instant impact for Van Gaal if he does sign but another shiny toy for the future.

Although the Colombia and AS Monaco striker claimed the tweet was part of some "montage" -- we'll forgive his flimsy excuse here -- the fact that the 28-year-old was kept out of his side's matchday squad for Saturday's 1-1 draw with LOSC Lille certainly adds some fuel to this raging inferno.

- It looks like Hatem Ben Arfa might get to play again soon! The unwanted Newcastle midfielder is reportedly heading to Birmingham City on loan. Not the most glamorous of moves, but he did apparently reject a move to Besiktas.

- The Southampton squad renaissance continues, with word that they're targeting ex-Barcelona (and current Sporting Lisbon) winger Diego Capel for a season loan. Saints boss Ronald Koeman is familiar with Capel, who came from La Masia while the Dutchman was still with the club. An apparent purchase option would fall in the region of five million pounds for the 26-year-old's services.

- Man City's marginalized striker John Guidetti is reportedly bound for Fiorentina. The Swedish striker has struggled to find his footing at the Etihad after some productive loan spells elsewhere. This move might be a good one for the 22-year-old who netted 20 goals in 23 games for Feyenoord back in 2011.

- The Daily Mirror reports that midfielder Lassana Diarra is on the verge of reuniting with Harry Redknapp at QPR. The pair worked together at Portsmouth back in the day, and the 29-year-old, on wages in the region of 65,000 pounds a week, would add some much-needed fire in midfield following their 4-0 humiliation against Tottenham.